Art Materials

Back on the first day of class I distributed the syllabus, which included a materials list.  This being a studio class, art materials are a necessary item. Of course, back on the first day most of us hadn't heard of any corona virus, but now we all have and it's had its effect on much of what we do.  I have had a number of students report that now they can't get access to their art materials.  A few tell me that they were locked out of their dorm rooms without warning.  Some are quarantined at home.  Many stores have closed.  I asked my supervisor for enlightenment and suggestions.  Here is what I have been told:

Our policy is going to be to ask students to do the best they can.  If you went out then and bought everything from your list, you got all the things we will need. If you have access to all those things, you will be in good shape. Each week I list the new project and the materials needed to do it. The materials have been chosen that will bring in the best results.  If you have them, then definitely use them.  So what if you don't have access to those materials?  This is where you do the best you can. 

Be creative, which seems appropriate for an art class.  Could be worse.  On our last day of meeting we took a brief building tour and you saw some of the studios, which are also all closed right now.  Imagine taking furniture design, and no longer being allowed to use the wood shop, those giant tables, and all the clamps, power saws, drill presses, etc.  Could a table be made without them? Of course, people were building tables with hand tools for thousands of years, and I have built much furniture myself that way.  It helps that I had a grandfather who owned a hardware store and I have inherited a large supply of tools.  If I didn't have those, I'd be out of luck. And I have no idea how that class is being taught over the internet.  Everything in the Intro class can be done at home, and now it will have to be.  

When I was in college, I had a housemate who spontaneously decided to do a drawing using boot polish, the waxy kind that comes in a tin, applied with a stick. She had a boyfriend in ROTC, and access to the stuff.  And she was not an art major, but a chemistry major. But it turned out pretty good.  Would not be my first choice of medium, but as a result I know a drawing can be made with boot polish.  When in grad school in the midwest, I knew people who made art with cattle markers.  If you are not familiar, they are big fat paint sticks, about the size of a toilet paper tube, with a paper covering like a crayon, come in a variety of bright colors, and used on ranches and feed lots to mark the sides of cows.  Can they also make art?  Turns out yes. Artists also have a long history of making use of unusual spaces.  Greenwich Village, SoHo, Chelsea, these had been industrial neighborhoods, and were abandoned.  Artists saw available and cheap spaces that could be studios and galleries, and moved in.  Then other people saw how nice they could be and the artists can't afford them any more.  They will just find new spaces. This is what happens to artists.

My point is, if you have the material chosen for the art assignment, use it.  They are designed for that purpose and you'll get the best results.  If you don't have them through no fault of your own, tell us that, and look for a good substitute.  We artists are an understanding bunch. And be glad our class does not involve making tables, or jewelry, or ceramics.